Subscribe to my blog! Lots of new things are on the way!

Friday, 26 February 2016

All the bookworms simply ADORE bookmarks and that is the universal truth! Everyone is looking for a unique bookmark or a 'fandom-related' bookmark or just a simple bookmark to place between the pages of the book they are reading. Some people (like me) are addicted to them! Sometimes, bookmarks are also used to give the book an extra interesting look and appeal and is a cause of envy for other book lovers. So without any further ado, here's how you can make a unique and cute bookmark on your own!

How to make a prop bookmark:

Definition: (What? I am a Science student, everything starts with a definition according to me. Except maybe true love. Or food.) A prop bookmark is basically a bookmark with a small prop, i.e. figurine attached to it.

The things that you'll need:

1.A piece of cardboard according to the length of your book or a sheet of chart paper of any colour you wish
2. Strong glue.
3. Sketch pens, thin markers.
4. M-seal or any clay that hardens quickly.
5. Fabric/Acrylic paint.
6. Paint brushes.
7. Scissors, unicorns, etc.

Okay, maybe no unicorns. Though, that would have been fun.

Here are the steps to make one:

Step 1: Cut the piece of cardboard paper in a rectangular strip according to the length of the book. If you are using chart paper, cut it into a long rectangular strip and then fold it in half to make the bookmark thick enough to support the prop. Avoid making the strip too thick or your book will have a strange swelling to it.

Step 2: Once you make the base strip of your bookmark, you can start with the prop. The prop I have made here is that of a girl resting her arms and her head on the pages of the book. Now, take the m-seal and mix the resin and hardener thoroughly to form a homogeneous dough.

Step 3: Remember, m-seal is quite annoying as it starts setting up after half an hour of mixing. So start making a face and hands from it right away. First, separate the m-seal in proper quantities for the features. For the face, you can make a smooth oval and create its features after that. Add the hair made using a flat piece of M-seal and any additional accessories (I made a small red hair bow). For the hands, just roll out a cylinder and then flatten one edge to make it seem like palms.

Step 4: Now place the hands in such a way that the palms overlap each other. Secure them with strong glue. Now, place the head in such a way that it is tilted slightly to one side and it rests over the palms. This is a tricky part so be careful and quick. Support the structure in the back with some more M-seal if needed.

Step 5: This is definitely the most hardest step of all. By now, the M-seal starts to dry and and it becomes really difficult to mould it.
So you'll need to do this quickly. Make a slit on the bottom of your prop and attach one edge of the chart paper base in it after applying some strong glue in the slit. Make sure that it is well supported and ensure that the prop doesn't fall off the base.

Step 6: Let it dry overnight. You can use a thick book to support it. Just ensure that the base of the prop does not have any rouge glue oozing out of it or else the pages would stick to your bookmark.
And if you try this on your textbook, hey, I will not be held responsible for any page - tearing incident.

Step 7: Once it is hard and dry, it's time to paint it! If your M-seal is white, you might not need any base coat, but if your M-seal is black like mine, it needs a white base coat. Paint it completely white so that the colours you will apply later will be opaque and bright.

Step 8: Now, splash your prop with colours! (That was just a phrase, colour it carefully) You can use any colours you want but it is more advisable to use bright, eye-catching colours.

Congratulations! You just learnt how to make a super-cute prop bookmark!
The best part of this is that it is unique, handmade and you can make a prop of basically anyone and anything. You can even make a fandom-related bookmark or an animal shaped bookmark.
I hope you liked this tutorial! Was it worth writing this for three days on my train journey? I think it was!
It feels so good to be back writing in my blog after a month! But I hope this post was worth it. :)
If you want to check out how to make really quick, cute and simple fandom related character bookmarks in just 4 steps, click here!

You can now subscribe to my blog to recieve my posts as newsletters straight in your inbox! All you have to do is just enter your email address in the subscription box (which is on the top of my blog in the web version if you are reading this in your mobile) and that's all! Do subscribe and share, it will make my day!